ART SCHOOL: From Jim Dine to James Goldcrown

"Bleeding Hearts" by James Goldcrown. Photo by Ellen Hubbard

When I posted the above street art by James Goldcrown to my Instagram account, you all went wild. It seems as if James' bleeding hearts certainly struck a chord. Of course, James' heart motif simply begs comparison to the work of Jim Dine, whose paintings of hearts are one of his most enduring subjects.

5 Things to Know About Jim Dine

1. Dine has roots in Abstract Expressionism as seen in his loose free brushwork. He also combines his paint with collage and other mediums like charcoal.

"Mountain Girl" Acrylic, charcoal and sand on canvas Jim Dine Photo by Lynn Byrne

"Bleeding Heart with Ribbons and a Movie Star" Jim Dine

2. Jim Dine has done a lot more than just paint hearts. He is considered one of the first performance artists and now he continues to work as a poet, writer, sculptor, painter and printmaker. Some call him contemporary art's renaissance man.

3. That said, he began his heart series in the early 1980's and he believes that the hearts represent his personal expression and the ability of paint to convey feeling. He also uses the motif to explore line and color.

4. During the 1960s, clothing and domestic objects featured prominently in his work. Additionally, he has been focused on the tools of his profession such as palettes, paint boxes and brushes, regarding these as extensions of the hand.

Jim Dine. (American, born 1935). Five Feet of Colorful Tools. 1962. Oil on unprimed canvas surmounted by a board on which painted tools hang from hooks, 55 5/8 x 60 1/4 x 4 3/8" (141.2 x 152.9 x 11 cm). The Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection. © 200… — Jim Dine. (American, born 1935). Five Feet of Colorful Tools. 1962. Oil on unprimed canvas surmounted by a board on which painted tools hang from hooks, 55 5/8 x 60 1/4 x 4 3/8" (141.2 x 152.9 x 11 cm). The Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection. © 2008 Jim Dine / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

5. One of the co-writers of the musical "Hair", James Rado, claims that is was a Dine piece entitled "Hair" that inspired the name of the musical.

"Hair" Pastel on Paper Jim Dine Photo via the Met

So, not surprisingly, there is a lot written about Jim Dine. But I could find hardly anything about James Goldcrown. He doesn't even have a website.

I did find a mention of James Goldcrown on a blog and a partial transcript of a radio interview, but without an artist statement I am taking it all with a grain of salt (and so should you). Apparently James was once a well-known fashion photographer, who tossed that away for a career selling his art from a truck and doing street art. He also started something called the Shed Project NY, which has a Facebook page but not much information or artist credits. On the Shed Project Facebook page I found the following two paintings that have James' style. They are titled but no artist is mentioned.

I believe that this next photo is James in a studio space--I found it on the Nick Onken blog.

James' Facebook page has this image as the cover photo. Looks like it is him at work at what has been dubbed the "Love Wall." By the way do you see the jib door?

James Goldcrown painting the "Love Wall."

I trolled James' Instagram looking for more work. He posted a few days ago that he finished this painting, the frame still drying, adding that it needs a home.

This next image also recently was posted to James' Instagram. Dying to know if it is his work or if it was the inspiration for the painting "Dripping Balloons" above.

I plan to regram it and tag James to let him know about this blog post. Do get in touch James. I would love to update this post with more information about you and your art. I am thinking a website for you might be a good idea :-).

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The idea behind my column, Art School, is to give people more confidence when purchasing art. It’s true that you really can’t go wrong, if you buy what you love. Still, studying famous artists and works of art from the past does help you recognize emerging talent. With Art School, I will feature 5 things to know about an artist or work of art in art history and suggest a contemporary artist whose work is complimentary.

Photo credits: Abyss of the Good Soldier sculpture